As conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate and Israel has completely blocked aid for over two months, the Freedom Flotilla ship Madleen is currently trying to get aid to Gaza. The Madleen was attacked by Israeli drones several weeks ago, but is currently sailing again. You can track her location: https://freedomflotilla.org/ffc-tracker/
I used one of Google’s new artificial intelligence models, Gemini 2.5 to create this detailed document about the history and current state of using flotillas of small vessels to provide aid when it is blocked by authorities.
Navigating the Siege
This is an extensive history and discussion about freedom flotillas and the blockade of Gaza I created using Google Gemini 2.5
The activists say of the Madleen, “She may be small, but her mission is powerful: To break the silence. To challenge Israel’s illegal blockade through nonviolent direct action. To stand firmly and unapologetically, with Gaza.”
The Madleen set sail on June 1, one day after the fifteenth anniversary of the murderous assault on the Mavi Marmara. Activists gathered in Catania, Sicily, in preparation for their launch. The boat is named for Gaza’s first gender-role-defying fisherwoman; she personifies FFC’s steadfastness.
The ship’s namesake, Madleen, fell in love with the sea as a young child. When she was only 13 years old, she took over her injured father’s fishing boat and became the main breadwinner for her family. Although Madleen’s focus was on her family’s survival—not politics—she shared the fishermen’s encounters with Israeli patrols. She recounted, “They often directly attacked my boat. They stole my fishing nets more than once. The thing was that each time they attacked me, I would get a little stronger. I never gave up.”
The Freedom Flotilla: Bravely Breaking the Siege Against Gaza. Story by Margaret Knapke, ZNetwork, June 4, 2025
Hearing Aids
In August 2008, the Free Gaza Movement successfully delivered aid to Gaza, using two small fishing boats named Liberty and Free Gaza. Participants included 44 activists from 17 countries, and they promised that they’d keep returning “until the siege on Gaza was broken.”
Included in the aid they brought were 200 pairs of hearing aids—far short of the 9,000 requested—because so many children were experiencing hearing loss as a result of Israel’s sonic booms.
Two years later, on May 31, 2010, the Israeli navy swarmed the Mavi Marmara. This ship was part of a larger flotilla, carrying nearly 700 people, which was attempting to deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Israelis killed 10 activists—one died after being comatose for four years—and wounded fifty more.
The Freedom Flotilla: Bravely Breaking the Siege Against Gaza. Story by Margaret Knapke, ZNetwork, June 4, 2025
unflinching 